Huanglongxi Ancient Town
Name in Chinese: 黄龙溪 Huáng Lóng xī [huæŋ lɔ:ŋ ʃi:]
Tour of Duration: Two Hours
Location: Huanglongxi Town, Shuangliu District, Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Highlights: Old Folk Residences and Local Customs
Must-see Sightseeing Spots: the Old Streets, the Ancient Yellow Dragon Monastery and the Old Ferry Port
Reputations: A National Four-star Scenic Area, the Most Gorgeous Ancient Waterside Town in Sichuan
The town is situated in the southwest of Chengdu Prefecture. The distance between the city proper of Chengdu and the ancient town is 45 km(28 miles). Huanglongxi Ancient Town was built in the Western Jin Dynasty(266-316). It boasts a 1,700-year history. The town was originally called Chishui or the yellow stream in English. By the end of the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644), all the old buildings were damaged by a conflagration. People rebuilt it and renamed it as Huanglongxi Town. Most of the present buildings could be traced back to the 17th century.
Huanglongxi means yellow dragon brook in English. It refers to the yellow stream which joins the Minjiang River nearby the town. The stream is quite muddy after raining, while the Minjiang river appears clear. At the confluence, the stream looks like a yellow dragon swimming in the limpid water. According to the historical records, the local people witnessed a yellow dragon at the confluence in the year of 219, and the dragon stayed for nine days. In order to pray for the dragon’s blessing, people cast a huge three-legged bronze vessel with pattern of dragon, and sank it into the river. That is the reason why the town was renamed as the yellow dragon brook.
The Old Streets
There are seven old streets in the town. All the streets are paved with stones. The main one is called Zhenlong Street. A stream flows along the axis of the street. Zhenlong means real dragon in English. The Dragon’s Pool Square lies at the entrance of the main street. A sculpture of dragon’s head is placed at the square. At the end of the main street, visitors can find the dragon’s tail. The street is flanked by souvenir shops, restaurants and tea houses.
The Ancient Dragon Monastery
The Ancient Dragon Monastery was built about 300 years ago. The monastery is quite small, but it has its own features. The elaborated decoration showcases the local traditional folk architecture. Visitors can also find an ole theater stage in the monastery. The theater stage is flanked by two banyan trees, which were planted over 900 years ago.
Huanglongxi Corridor Bridge
The corridor bridge was built in 2010. It straddles the yellow stream. The bridge is 368 meters(1207 feet) in length and 18 meters(59 feet) in width.
The Three-legged Bronze Ding Vessel
According to the historical records, by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty(25-220), a turbulent peasant uprising broke out, which was called the “Yellow Ribbon Rebellion”. The Han Empire declined and was eventually carved into three independent kingdoms. At that time, the southwest part of China was occupied by Liu Bei, who was one of the warlords. He did not proclaimed himself emperor until 220 when Emperor Xiandi was forced to abdicate the throne of the Han Empire by Cao Pi. Cao Pi was the warlord who seized the crown from the Han’s emperor and established the Wei Kingdom. In the year of 219, the local people saw a yellow dragon in the river nearby the town. They reported it to Zhuge Liang, who served as the chief staff for Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang claimed that the dragon’s presence was a sign of making Liu Bei the emperor of the Shu Han Kingdom. He also had his people cast a three-legged bronze vessel to worship the dragon. The original bronze vessel was sunk into the river for blessing. In order to remind visitors the yellow dragon’s story, local people placed a new bronze vessel at the Dragon’s Pool Square.
Travel Tips:
How to Get to Huanglongxi Ancient Town
Huanglongxi Ancient Town lies in the southwest of Chengdu. The town is about 45 km(28 miles) away from downtown Chengdu. It takes about one hour to get to the town by a car.
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Author: Tina Luo
Update:
